Break Out of State
by Spazzplosion
Summary: Sora hadn't spent time with Axel in ages, but best friends never stop being best friends. Going with Axel for spring vacation was sure to be crazy. Parties, clubs, new people, Sora wasn't sure what hit him, but he knew he would enjoy it!
1. Prologue

Prologue

* * *

The dark heat, with colorful bright lights interrupting the shadowy atmosphere like stars on drugs. The think beat of the bass mixed with the sparkling heat of the drinks Axel had ordered for Sora had him out on the dance-floor. The press of bodies, pushing, coaxing hands, the brush of someone's hair against his cheek. Sora threw himself into the dancing with an abandon he hadn't know he possessed. Storm gray eyes with delicate flecks of blue met his own from across the room. Like a moth drawn to a light, Sora found himself making his way threw the crowd and to the stranger. Before he knew it, they were pressed against each-other, grinding their bodies as if they would never have the chance again.

Sora giggled as he stumbled into a shelf on the hallway wall. He wondered why people even bothered with such useless structures. The look on his face must've been amusing, because when Squall glanced back at him, he let out his own throaty laugh. The older man grabbed one of Sora's wrists and led him back to his bedroom.

Biting his lip and fighting off his own urges to just give into the sensations, Squall pulled his lithe bodied companion away from his groin. They still had the rest of the night, and like hell he would give up such delicious delight so soon. Smirking at the boys soft whimper of protest, he pulled him up for a deep sensual kiss. It had been ages and being wanted this badly was... Squall lost his train of thought as the boy eagerly pressed his body against the older man, tugging at any remaining clothing, demanding attention. And Squall gladly complied.

* * *

**:D  
**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

As Squall pulled himself out of the sweet darkness of dreamland, he rolled over to appreciatively watch the boy that he had spent the night with. Except, the boy wasn't there. The blankets were messily thrown over the empty space in his bed, and there was no clothing piled on the chair by the window. Squall blinked, as it dawned on him that that tiny, beautiful brunette had ditched him. It seemed he'd only been a one night stand, after some drunken dancing at the club they'd met up at. Slowly, taking care of his mildly pounding head, Squall sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He was surprised by the disappointment he felt over just being a fling. As if he hadn't done it to many men and women alike before tonight. But then, he'd always been the one to wake up early, and to just leave.

Squall decided that he most definitely did not like being on the side that got ditched.

Making his way to the bathroom, he noted that they had both managed to knock quite a few things over on the way to his bedroom last night. It made him smile, despite the fact that he was alone now. And once he was in the bathroom, he couldn't help but notice the not so pleasant smell of vomit. Apparently, his little lover didn't handle alcohol very well. He sighed, reaching for his toothbrush, and glaring at the disheveled, worn out face staring back at him from his mirror.

Sitting at the counter in Axel's family's domain, felt very... different to Sora. After making his way home earlier that morning, he had laid down on the couch, glad that the place was deserted except for his wayward friend. After last night, he highly doubted Axel would be up for a few more hours. He honestly didn't know what he was doing up as it was. Last night had been... amazing, frightening, exhilarating, and a rush. But, it was all wrong. He still had his boyfriend waiting for him back at home, his wonderful, faithful boyfriend. How could he, Sora, the unexperienced one, have managed to get drunk enough to go off and sleep with that totally gorgeous, muscled, mature man. Squall, had been his name. Sora didn't remember when he found this out, but he did remember calling it out quite a few times last night. He took a sip of the hot chocolate warming his hands and stared at the countertop some more. What a failure of a vacation. He laid his head down on the smooth wood. What a complete fuck up. What a..

-

Axel had to smile when he came out to find his former best friend fast alseep, face down, in his kitchen. One of the boys hands were wrapped around a cup of something like coffee, and he looked... incredibly good for someone who had gotten completely smashed the night before. Axel, on the other hand, knew that he looked quite shitty, his eyeliner smeared around his eyes, and his skin looking even paler than usual. His smile widened, when it occurred to him that his friend had never come home last night, after wandering off with that handsome man at the club they'd been at. So, Sora must have ditched the older fella and come home, not sure what to do. What an idea. As Axel turned the coffee machine on, realizing that it was hot chocolate, not coffee in Sora's cup, he wondered if his brown haired buddy would tell Riku about this.

With an almighty yawn, and a rather spaztic twitch of his hand, Sora woke up. The coffee machine was dripping, and somebody was sitting across from him, rubbing their face with a wet washcloth. He blinked a few times, registering that he was back at Axels, not Squalls.

Axel cracked on eye open, as he moved the washcloth to the other side of his face. "Mmm, good morning beautiful. I take it you had a nice night?"

Sora grunted in return, taking in more of his surroundings, and realizing that he had splashed cold cocoa on all over his hand and the counter. The dripping of the coffee machine slowed to a stop, and Axel's stool scraped against the floor as he got up to make himself a cup. Sora yawned again. "When'd you get back last night?"

"I'd say two or three. When'd you leave with Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome and make your way home?"

"...Sometime around dawn." Sora looked up at his friend and blushed at the look he was receiving. "What!?"

"Honey, you just had your first one night stand. How was he? You have to tell me aaaaaaall the details," Axel grinned wickedly as he sat down with his coffee, not caring how incredibly gay he had just sounded.

"Oh, right, well... He was... very..." the blush decorating Soras cheeks deepened, "It was nice."

Not being able to resist making fun of that, Axel tsked loudly and rolled his eyes. "That's so lame," he leaned over the counter, trying for an intense sort of look. "Aren't ya gonna give me anything good to store away as a memory for our Spring Break vacation?"

"Hah! Of course, because you definitely need me to make the memories for you."

"Well, maybe not like that, but we need to start making some together!" With this, Axel sorta rolled off the seat, and made his way back to where he had last thrown his bag. He stuck his head out from around the corner, a wide smile decorating his face. "Like this!"

KERSNAP.

Sora, who had just been lazily glancing at his friend, went wide eyed as he realized he had just gotten a picture taken of him. At 11 in the morning; with no shower, and make-up probably smeared somewhere on his face. He let out a rather indistinct yell as he lunged off his own stool. "AXEL, YOU GIVE ME THAT CAMERA RIGHT NOW!"

"Aahahaha! But babe, you look so gorgeous, with your hair all tousled, and looking like you were kept up all night fucking some magnificent stranger!"

Axel's laughter taunted Sora from behind the closed (and locked) bathroom door. The younger boy plopped down on the floor outside of the bathroom, a very adorable pouting crossing his face. "Ya know, Axel, I just may hate you."

"Mmm, well, while you were off being wooed by this Squall person, I managed to find someone for myself," Axel said, once again sitting at the computer with Sora. Even though he'd gotten kicked a few times, he' managed to hide the camera away. Sora raised his eyebrows. Axel grinned, "What, you think I can't score a hottie?" He leaned over towards his friend. "The kid's adorable, but don't ever tell him I said that. He'd probably punch me for saying something demeaningc or something like that."

"Why, Axel, I'm surprised at you!"

"Huh, how come?"

"Only one boy, after a whole night of clubbing?"

Axel's face flushed.

"I mean, you've normally got a hoard of them following you around. Do you mean to tell me that this didn't happen at all last nightc?" Sora trailed off, his voice teasing.

"Hmph," Axel go up and walked to the doorway leading to the living room. When he reached it, he shot a mild glare back at Sora. "I managed to last the night with only one boy."

Sora burst out laughing when his friend stuck his tongue out at him

-

"Whyyyyyyyy are you so exceptionally moody today?"

Squall slowly looked up from the book he was reading at the short, dark-haired girl who was looking down at him. Without responding, he looked back at his book and continued reading.

"'Cause, I heard you went clubbing last night. Aaaaaaaaand, I know you hardly ever drink, so you're not hungover. Aaaaaand, you always seem a bit more on the relaxed side of life after clubbing. So whyyyyy are you so sour today?

"Yuffie, I'm reading. Go. Away," answered Squall, without bothering to look up at her.

The self-proclaimed ninja leaned against the table Squall was sitting at, getting comfy for a nice long bout of squeeze-the-information-out-of-Squall. "See, that's just what I'm talking about," she said, waving her hands around in an attempt to strengthen her point. "Normally, you make an attempt to at least be civil to me, but today you've just been a plain ol' grumpy pants. You don't even look like you're absorbing, let alone enjoying that," she gestured to the book her friend was leaning over, "book. Where is your smile (not that I ever get to see it), your energy, your life? Seriously Squall, you look freakin' dead today. An absolute zombie."

By this point, Yuffie was completely engrossed in her rant about Squall having such a bad day. So engrossed, that she didn't notice him get up, and start packing up his bag until he started to walk away.

"Hey! Squaaall, where're you going?"

Squall glanced back at her, said "My name is Leon," and walked off.

-

"Come on, we need to start picking out clothes for tonight," Axel said as he stalked towards the closet.

"For tonight? Axel, we haven't even decided what to do tonight."

Axel glanced over his shoulder at Sora and threw a pair of pants at him. "Right, must've forgotten to tell ya. Remember how I said I met a hottie? He works at some club, and he invited us to come see him in action tonight. It's called Judgment, and he said to keep out outfits vaguely formal, maybe really old-fashioned.

"Mmm. Great," Sora rolled his eyes but he couldn't keep the dismayed look off his face as he examined the pants that had been thrown at him. "Axel, you can't expect me to wear these." The pants were tight and the pink lace that decorated the pockets hinted that they were meant for a female. There were two sets of suspenders hanging from each side, which were also edged with lace. It looked as if they flared out from the knees down, but Sora wasn't sure. He stood up, held them against himself, and was horrified by how low they were made to fit.

Ignoring Sora's soft whimpers, Axel picked out a manlier pair of pants for himself. With a smile, he pulled out his cousin's leather pants. He'd though of them thanks to Sora's Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome, and felt that these would be a pleasant surprise for his new little blonde. Sora's indignant whining pulled him back to the current situation, the choosing of clothes.

"Seriously, Axel, I don't know how you expect me to fit in these. They're just soc tiny!" Sora held out the tiny until Axel turned around to protest. A bit of triumph flashed through Sora as Axel's eyes widened.

"Oh. Well lookit that. Those are a lot tighter than I remember them beingc" murmured Axel as he kneeled in front of Sora and tugged the pants around the younger boys legs. "Buuuuut, with a bit of work, I'm sure they'll fit you just right." He stood up with a wicked smile. It widened at Soras dramatic groan.

Axel rummaged through the closet a bit more, and after a bit, turned around with a theatrical flourish. The hanger he was holding had a pure black shirt, that seemed to havec ruffles? Ruffles decorated the collar and sleeves in waves, the edges of the ruffles fading from black, into a deep blue that shined against the rest of the shirt.

Sora might've found it charming if he'd seen it in a movie or something. But as something people wear out nowadays? He hadn't even known you could buy stuff like that. "Where in the world did you manage to get that!?"

"Ah well, I've been surfin' the fetish shops online. But this one belongs to my cousin. He collects crazy clothes, stuff that he can dress up or act in, the sort. He's a bit of an oddball." With a sly grin, Axel held the shirt and the pants he'd picked out against his body. "Sexy, no?" he ignored Sora's eye rolling, "I would think my little Roxy will enjoy it very much. And it fits the dress code!"

"What, ever! Can you manage to find a shirt for me that isn't completely girly, like these stupid pants you picked out for me? Do these belong to your cousin's girlfriend or something?"

"Maybe."

More ruffling sounds could be heard from the direction of the closet, though Sora wasn't looking. He'd thrown himself onto the bed after seeing the outfit Axel had chosen for himself. He couldn't get himself worked up enough over whatever Axel may choose for him, but he couldn't help but worry over whatever it would be. He may be femininely built, and have the most girly name anybody had heard for a guy, but he most definitely preferred being dressed in manly clothes. Or clothes that at least classified him as part of the male gender! He rolled his head to stare at the pants laying next to him, and buried his face into fluffy bedding. Axel gave a yell of triumph from behind him.

"Perfect! This one matches perfectly."

When Sora turned around, he was glad to see that it wasn't an obviously feminine shirt. Yes, it did have the same pink in it as the pants, but shirts made for women didn't have necks cut that low, with no space for breasts. It was yet another black shirt, with long sleeves. Vaguely similar to Axels, in the fact that it was black and would probably fit like a second skin. But it had no ruffles, and instead of fading into a silky white, it faded into a soft baby pink. The v-neck was cut to just below his belly button, and had a flourished collar, edges tinged in pink. The sleeves were long, made to pass the wearer's hands, and had belled out on the ends, also fading into pink. It was manly, and feminine, something that Sora supposed he could handle. He had to admit, it did match the pants.

Axel recognized the defeat in Sora's eyes and happily threw the shirt at his friend. "Ready for me to make you beautiful!?" It brought joy to Axel to see the way Sora's face paled slightly at that. "No worries babe, it's just a little make-up." He winked. Sora did not find it encouraging.

Sora blinked his eyes furiously, trying to adjust to the extra weight of the fake eyelashes Axel had put on him. If his shirt had been cut differently then it would have been quite the challenge to tell if Sora was a boy or a girl. Sora himself found the androgynous look vaguely disturbing. Axel found it cute. This was how Sora ended up with the delicately kohl-lined eyes, thick but not over done eyelashes with the barest sprinkle of glitter, and pink lip gloss. Axel patted the brunettes shoulder while they admired his masterpiece.

"Don't worry about it, you look gorgeous and it'll be dark. Nobody will notice the lashes or the lip gloss."

"Then why did you put it on me!? Axeeel, my face sparkles when I move! It's like I'm a vampire out of Twilight or something." Sora scrunched up his face disapprovingly. "Are you going to make yourself look as bad?"

Axel made a face before responding heatedly. "Sora, it doesn't look bad. It looks hot. You just don't like it. You'll get to see how I'll look in a few minutes," and with that, the red-head promptly ignored Sora and got to work on his own make-up. For himself he really didn't do much elaborate stuff, so while he was brushing the mascara on, ignoring Sora's complaints got even harder. He allowed himself a smirk when his friend started grumbling about "why a man would even own fake eyelashes."

While Axel dutifully applied his own make-up, Sora wandered over to the full-length mirror and looked over the final results of Axel dressing him up. It had a very dramatic flair, and the thought of going out in public in it made Sora's cheeks flush with embarrassment. He sincerely hoped that the people at this Judgment place dressed just as crazily. He'd always known Axel was a bit loopy, but he was definitely wondering about his friend's sanity. Or maybe he was just feeling grumpy. Sora walked back to Axel, not wanting to be able to see his own get-up anymore.

Axel's flaming red hair was now pulled back and loosely tied with a blue ribbon that matched his clothes, his tattoos, and his newest collection of piercings. Definitely pleased with how his outfit had come together, he flashed an attempt of a charming smile at Sora's reflection. Even if his neck felt unhealthily exposed, it look good. Aaah the price of being beautiful. With his face lit up with excitement, Axel twirled around to face his best friend. "I think I'll give Roxas a call, see if we should head out soon."

Sora smiled weakly, his cheeks still pink tinted. "Great."

-

Having successfully made it away from Yuffie, Squall found a seat at an even more secluded table. With Vincent Valentine running the shop, you'd think it would be a peaceful place. But then, you'd have to remember that wherever Vincent went, Yuffie followed. He sighed as he got out his book and absently flipped through the pages. Yuffie had been right, he didn't look so good. His mind was still on the boy he'd met last night. He had been so disconcerted by being the one left alone that he'd simply taken some aspirin, gotten dressed, and headed over to this bookstore. So, here he sat, his hair still worse than tousled, his eyes with faint circles under them, and a randomly thrown together outfit. While his mind had the revelation that a large, steaming cup of coffee would be best for him, he stared in the general direction of the space in front of his chosen table. It took him a long, slow blink to register that there was a person standing in said place. Squall's eyes slowly moved up the body of the intruder, forming a steely glare by time they met the persons own startlingly red eyes.

Today, Vincent was dressed in a nicely fitting pair of black jeans and a form fitting crimson turtleneck sweater. His arms were crossed and he calmly returned Squall's unhappy glare. He didn't really expect a response from his friend so he plowed ahead in the silence. "Yuffie's worried about you."

Squall grunted a response as he got up to head over to the coffee place next door. Vincent, of course, followed him.

"She wants to know why you're so grumpy today. Why you've been so angry lately."

Annoyed with Vincent for seeking him out, just because Yuffie went and whined a bit, Squall didn't look at the raven-haired man walking next to him. "…Tell it to a wall."

Vincent didn't answer that, opting to just silently fall in step behind Squall. If he was quite and persistent enough, he'd find out what Yuffie wanted to know. And an answer was an answer, even when it's given on accident.

Eventually Squall was back in his seat and Vincent was sitting across from him. Still bent on ignoring him, Squall sipped his coffee and stared at the table. How obnoxious, being trailed around after. He didn't understand how people with younger children were ever able to put up with him. Finally, he raised his gaze to Vincent's face. "Fine, fine what is it you wanna know?"

Vincent was silent for a moment, watching Squall, then answered, "Yuffie wants to know what's up with you."

"I'm just… Having a bad day. Hungover, the like."

"Need to get laid?"

At that comment, Squall shot Vincent a very angry glare. "No, I do not need to get laid."

"Well, from the way you're acting, it seems like it'd help."

Persistent bastard. Squall just glared some more.

"I'm going out to a club tonight to visit a friend. It's pretty crazy. You'd find someone, for sure. If you can't score some random person, the staff are pretty generous."

Squall's eyebrow tweaked at that. "I, am not going to a club, just to get laid. I am not, I repeat, am not, desperate enough to go off with some dancer from this club."

"If you say so. Though, really there are some really nice kids there," Vincent ignored the look of disbelief on Squall's face. "It's not like it'd be a waste of a night."

"Kids. Vincent, you realize you have just told me to go off and have a good night with some kids."

Vincent actually chuckled. Squall stood up, offering Vincent a stiff goodbye, and left. He didn't want anybody to try to convince him on what he needs, anymore today.

* * *

**So, I started this a while ago, but I didn't want to post it right away in fear that I would never continue it. But hey, it's not like I have that many fans anyways. ; I'll be working on it, but its one out of many projects, and I am a very easily distracted girl. R&Rplz!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

By the time Axel and Sora got to Judgment, it was dark out. From the moment they'd met up with Roxas at the bus stop, Axel hadn't let go of him. Not even once. Sora had to wander along behind to couple, but he didn't mind that much. Their group passed by the front of the club on the way to the employee entrance, and the line waiting to get inside was quite impressive. Sora was very thankful they had Roxas to bring them in the back, because he didn't want to be stuck in a line that long, with that many creepy looking people.

Once inside, Roxas gave Axel a teasing kiss before herding him and Sora out into the slowly filling dance club. The lighters were dim, but no crazy colored lights were running. The music was a bit bizarre, a bit catchy, but also only playing softly. The atmosphere in general was smooth and relaxed. The patrons who'd already made it through the line were mingling, having drinks, and a few were even having dinner. All of Axel's hype about how fancy and crazy this place was supposed to be hadn't prepared Sora for this. It was just so normal looking. Since nobody was using the dance floor yet, Sora and Axel went to the bar and grabbed a couple of tall, comfy seats.

-

By time the club was completely filled, nobody was left in the booths or at the bar. The dance-floor was so insanely full, Sora almost felt like he was going to start having trouble breathing soon. It was nearly claustrophobia causing. Now Sora could recognize what Axel had been talking about. The outfits ranged from almost normal club-wear, to crazy leather, to stuff that looked like it was straight out of a costume shop. It was very different from the club Axel had dragged him to the night before.

Everybody was dancing, swaying their bodies to the music, grinding against their partners. Sora wasn't sure who he was dancing with, he only knew it was some handsome boy with and earring in one ear, and tight leather capris. The music was modern enough, but with a bit of a 1400's French twist. It was unique, and it fit the club and it's attendees perfectly.

The music reached a climax, loud and dramatic, and Sora barely caught the sound of people gasping. He pressed closer to his partner as he recognized spotlights, but not who they were focused on. A thrill of excitement passed through him as the spotlights weaved through the crowd. He almost thought he recognized Roxas, but the blonde wasn't facing him, and he couldn't be sure. Then he saw the man moving steadily towards him. He flowed through the crowd, moving like water through a rocky shore. He was beautiful, his delightfully orange eyes were set off by his deeply tanned skin. His deeply tanned skin was set off by his white hair, and the gleaming white outfit he wore.

Sora couldn't hold back a gasp of his own as the man reached him, and the warm presence of the person he'd been dancing with disappeared. Sora could only stare up into those eyes, entranced as the man circled around him, his fingertips brushing around Sora's body, tracing his hips. He shivered as the man moved back in front of him, took a step back, and gave a deep, elaborate bow.

The music dropped suddenly, and the club was quiet. A whisper of joined voices slowly rose above the hush.

"Good evening, and welcome to..." the voices suddenly fell quiet again, and the last word was barely breathed, barely discernable. "Judgment."

Another delighted shiver skittered through Sora's body as the man stared at him oh-so-intently. The music once again rose in volume, so you could hear it, and the song had changed, and it was different, but only different enough to make you wonder if you were just hearing things. The man took two steps towards Sora and held out his arms, as if he were inviting Sora to dance.

It took him a minute, but Sora realized that that was exactly what the man was doing. He shyly stepped into the man's arms, hesitant on where to place his own, but he was guided. Soon, the two were dancing, waltzing or something that felt like a waltz, through the crowd. The grace that had flowed with the stranger as he had found Sora now attached itself to Sora himself, and he found himself effortlessly gliding and weaving through the people who were once again dancing. Occasionally he caught a glimpse of another beautifully dressed man or woman, clad all in white, waltzing with a club patron as the spotlight traced their path. It was exciting and dizzying.

It didn't feel like long, though Sora knew he couldn't possibly have a grip on time right now, before they stopped, just barely pulling over to the edge of the crowd. He slowly unfurled from the man's arms, but still kept a gentle grip on the hand that had been clasped with his. For this, he received a soft, arrogant smile.

The stranger leaned forward, his lips brushing against the hair around Sora's ear. "It's wonderful to dance with you. I'm Ansem."

Sora smiled, wide and happy, and said, "I'm Sora."

It wasn't much, as far as introductions go, but Sora was thrilled to even vaguely know the man that he had been dancing with. The music picked up again, and he found himself back in Ansem's arms, flowing back through the crowded dance-floor.

--

Pride was the most dominant emotion in Ansem as he led his small partner around the dance floor. He'd always been proud of his clubs, of their success. But every once in a while, he missed the nightlife he had given up in order to co-own the two clubs that he had bought. So, under the guise of simply checking in on business, he would come in and dance with his dancers, go through the nightly routine that pleased and excited his customers. Of course, it changed from time to time, but he came in just often enough to know what was going on, and how he'd be able to participate. Other than actually running the clubs, designing the interior and the costumes, actually participating in the entertainment was his favorite hobby.

And not only did he enjoy his work, but he took even more pleasure in it when he was able to pick someone like the boy in his arms, out of the crowd. Sora, had been the name he'd shyly been given. It delighted him to be able to make someone breathless and dazed, it was the best feed for his ego, and he loved it. And young Sora here managed to stroke it just right. He couldn't keep the smirk off his lips, but he knew that Sora wouldn't mind. The boy looked like he could dissolve into happy laughter any minute now.

However, there was still the reality of every day life to remember. Ansem had to push the suddenly appearing sigh back. Of course this was a most-enjoyable break from life, but he still had to return to his home, his plans, his colleagues in the business. Once and a while he wished he could take someone home to play with. It wouldn't be smart to bring someone from his very own club home, but every now and then, the urge struck him, and struck him hard. Once again, he was struck by how innocent the boy in his arms was. Surely, someone dressed as he was, at a dance club, at **this** time of night, wasn't as innocent as Sora looked. But the boy really had a charm about him, with his baby soft skin, sparkling blue eyes, and irresistibly bouncy hair. Oh, and how he loved how Sora would occasionally lean against him as though it were all too much and he just needed someone to hold him.

-

Taking another sip of his drink, Vincent watched the owner dance the boy up to the bar. Odd waltz music was playing, and the dance floor was once again a swaying mass of people. If you concentrated you could pick out other dancers wearing elaborate, light colored costumes, moving and weaving through the crowd. He switched his attention to the boy who was catching his breath and smiling up at the owner. Vincent shook his head as the kid laughed at something the older man said. He was about to turn around and watch Cid bustle around behind the counter when an equally young looking blonde boy (dressed in the club's costume) led a lanky, tightly clothed red-head.

-

Sora pressed his hand to his mouth, trying not to be reduced to giggles as they urge worked to overcome him. He shyly glanced up at Ansem's face and saw him facing the crowd. Just as Sora began to turn his head, he caught a flash of orange-red hair before his friend's arm curled around his shoulders. With a smile, Sora leaned into the hug a bit and looked up at Axel. It occurred to him that he'd never felt so short, when he noticed a cloned boy of exactly the same height saying something to Ansem.

"Sora, this is Roxas," Axel nearly yelled in Sora's ear. The music wasn't as overwhelming as it originally had been but it still wasn't suited for conversation.

Roxas held out his hand and smiled at Sora. Sora smiled back and shook it. "Hey, I'm Sora." Roxas nodded without saying anything and moved from Ansem's side to Axel's. Axel promptly let go of his friend and wrapped a possessive arm around Roxas' shoulders. Sora found himself transferred back to Ansem's arms and didn't complain when he was swept away to dance again. He'd only been getting a sip of water, and that was something that could be left behind.

As soon as Sora floated off with his partner, Axel puled out a stool for Roxas to get comfy on. He sat next to his "boyfriend" and watched him adjust his costume.

Roxas looked at Axel out of the corner of his eye. "Your friend is dancing with the owner of this place."

Axel's eyes widened slightly. "Didn't you tell me he's a bit of a freak?"

"Hey Cid! Get me some water please." Roxas yelled towards the blonde bartender before nodding at Axel. "A bit. He's okay, I guess, but I definitely wouldn't want to be stuck alone with him." Cid silently clunked a glass of ice water in front of Roxas. He didn't even glance at Axel.

Though Axel put a bit of thought towards Sora's safety, he was still easily distracted, and it wasn't long before Roxas grabbed his attention back for other things.

-

Soft light filtered through the blinds, playing across Sora's sleeping face. His eyes scrunched up, rejected the light, and rolled over, burying his face into the pillow. But then, it dawned on him to make sure he was at his own home this time. Sora sat up, squinting in the morning light, searching for something he recognized. He caught site of his suitcase, open with clothes hanging out. He dropped back onto his bed, groaning with relief and rolled over again, glad he hadn't drank last night. He was tired and definitely didn't feel like escaping from another man's house. With a sigh, Sora pulled his covers over his head and went back to sleep.

-

As the old school bus rattled down the street, Riku watched the way the sky slowly seemed to seep into darkness. He was the last one to be dropped off after the Art and Culture trip that he had gone on with his tech class. The art classes, computer classes, theatre clubs, and such had all been invited to go out of state to a convention. Since Sora was going out of town with that guy he used to hang with, Riku had figured he might as well go.

The trip **had** been fun, but Riku was really beginning to miss his boyfriend. Three days had passed since Riku had last spoken with Sora. He really hoped there would be a message from the younger boy waiting for him at home. Needing to take his mind off of his so-sweet boyfriend, Riku transferred back to the art trip. Since Sora hadn't been able to tag along, Riku had found himself spending most of the time with Kairi. For the first time in nearly three years, Riku had been able to have an actual conversation with the girl who had once been on of his closest friends.

He wasn't sure he liked the woman she was turning in to, but he figured he had no place to complain, considering his relationship with her now (aka, nonexistent). Her clothes were too tight, her attitude too bitchy, and he could smell the pot she'd smoked almost every time he hung out with her. In fact, she'd been totally stoned the entire trip home, though he hadn't realized it until Selphie had laughingly pointed it out.

The bus pulled to a jerky stop at the end of Riku's street, and he lazily grabbed his suitcase and backpack before getting off. When he got home, he was disappointed to find his answering machine empty of any messages from Sora. Spring break was not looking up.

-

House M.D. being yelled at blared out of the tv. Sora ignored the drama as he stirred strawberry sauce into the glass of milk Axel had poured for him. Thankfully, Axel hadn't come home alone last night. Him and Roxas were now cuddled on the couch together, only half paying attention to House. While most people would be grumpy about their housemates bringing home their boyfriends (the boyfriend you knew they would totally be shagging the moment you weren't paying attention to them), Sora was glad. Axel being occupied with Roxas meant that Sora wouldn't be dragged out to some other loud, sweaty dance club. Tonight, Sora would get to do his own thing. Humming happily, Sora went back to his room, planning to finish his strawberry milk, get dressed, and head out.

The evening air was cool and slightly breezy against Sora's cheeks. He'd always been an outdoors sort of person, and growing up in the tropics didn't stop him from appreciating a nice cool evening. However, he was also glad Axel had warned him of how cold it could get on a spring night. Smiling widely, he shoved his hands into his jean pockets as he wandered down main-street. Due to the chilly weather, Sora had on a pair of loose, dark colored jeans and a soft, deep red sweater. Underneath the sweater was an equally soft t-shirt that was white with home done tie-dye. After passing God knows how many mainstream, commercial businesses, Sora headed down a random side street. It was well lit, and looked like it might have some cozier shops or cafes.

Instinct had been right. Sora smiled as he passed a quaint cafe. A mahogany colored sign glowing over the windows dubbed it the Cafe Noir. Marking the cafe in his memory, Sora moved on to the place next to it. With softly lit windows on the first and second story, Sora could see rows of bookshelves. Not paying attention to the name, but delighted to have found a bookstore like this, Sora rushed in.

-

Feeling considerably better than the last time he'd taken refuge here, Squall didn't tell Yuffie to go away. In fact, he'd been feeling so charitable that he hadn't said anything grumpy to her at all for the past forty minutes. Her flow of speech never seemed to stop as she took notice of everything and then took the time to explain it to Squall. Of course, though being kind enough to not cut her off, Squall definitely wasn't paying attention to what she was talking about. If he had been, he would have noticed the cutely flushed brunette boy who just entered the store. He was actually so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn't notice anything new until Yuffie stopped talking (or maybe she paused, he hadn't been listening) and got up. _Even then_, he would have just turned back to his book, but suddenly the voice of the customer Yuffie was talking to reached his ears, and it grabbed his attention right away.

Standing next to the first row of bookshelves, in front of Yuffie, _just a few feet away_, was the boy that had left him just yesterday morning. He was as adorable as Squall remembered, though Squall was slightly horrified at how young the boy was. Not that Squall was old, twenty-five definitely wasn't what he would call old, but this kid was barely in his late teens. Nonetheless, Squall's eyes greedily took in the boys animated features. His eyes were bright, happy, his cheeks flushed from the chilly weather, and his plump lips were curled into a pleased smile. His outfit was very casual, but it fit him well.

However, Squall's observations were cut off as Yuffie began to lead the boy over to Squall's table. Squall's mind began to panic. Not wanting to be there, but not wanting to appear rude by just walking off, he buried his face in the book he'd been reading.

"So do you go to non-commercial bookstores very often?" Yuffie was asking as she pulled out a chair.

"Oh, definitely," he smiled warmly as he sat across from her, only a chair away from Squall. "I mean, I enjoy the big stores like Books-A-Million, but there's so much more to find at places like this."

Squall almost sighed in relief as he received no more than a sparing glance.

Yuffie turned to him. Squall fought the urge to hunch over.

"Squall, this kid is so awesome! Every time he goes someplace new he finds bookstores like this one!" She was smiling brightly, glancing between the stoic Squall and the cheery Sora. "Comon, Squaaaaall," she waved her hand in front of the book he was holding. "I want you to meet Sora!"

Squall looked up slowly, and nodded slightly at Sora.

Sora stared. This couldn't be right. The handsome man sitting practically next to him, Squall, as Yuffie had called him, looked just like the guy he'd met at that club the first night…

Oh god, no. As it clicked in Sora's mind, his face turned a bright, obvious red.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this was fun but frustrating to write. Remind me to not write scenes on loose leaf paper. D: I'll lose them, and have to rewrite it. And btw, in case I have any readers that don't have accounts, getting on makes it a lot easier than just bookmarking things. Because, you can watch a story, and then whenever it's updated, you get an email with a link it in and everything. ;D You know you want to go get an account now, right?  
**


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